Detergent dissolving apparatus



July 22, 1952 P ARANT 2,604,386

DETERGENT DISSOLVING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 19, 1950 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented July 22, 1952 DETERGENT DISSOLVING APPARATUS Perry Arant,' San Gabriel, Calif., assignor in Clayton Manufacturing Compa -Calif., a corporation of California y, El Monte,

V Application'December 19, 1-950, Serial No. 201,606

This invention relates to an apparatus and method for dissolving detergent material. It is directed particularly to an apparatus and method for dissolving solid detergents to provide a supply of detergent solution for use in cleaning apparatus.

Cleaning apparatus is known and used wherein a supply of water is pumped into a boiler or the like wherein it is heated sufficiently to produce a steam and water mixture which is conducted underpressure to a suitable nozzle to be directed to a surface or structure to be cleaned. Customarily, a solution of detergent material is injected into the water pumped to the boiler in predetermined proportions to assist in the cleaning operation. It has been customary to provide-a tank of detergent solutionand to replen ish the supply thereof, when depleted, by introducing into the tank the required quantity of solid detergent and water and then manuallystir ring the same, usually by means of a rotary agitator, until the detergent i dissolved.

According to the present invention, mean are provided for more rapidly and efficiently replenishing the supply of detergent solution in an apparatus of the type referred to. 4

In accordance with the present invention, a basketfor holding a solid detergent is mounted in the. tank and may be filled with a requisite amount of material when it is necessary to re plenish the supply of solution. Mean are'provided for introducing the required quantity of water into the tank and with the basket therein in a predetermined position, a jet of hot steamwater mixture from the boiler is directed through the body of water in the tank and through the basket-of detergent material. This jet causes circulation of water throughout the tank and through the detergent basket until the detergent is completely dissolved and thoroughly mixed with the water in the tank.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an apparatus for speedily and conveniently replenishing a supply of detergent solution in a. cleaning apparatus. 7

It is afurther object of this invention to provide a detergent dissolver simplein construction and economical to build and operate. 1 r i It is a still further object of thi invention to provide adetergent dissolving apparatus capable of intimately mixing a dissolved detergentmaterial and a solvent without the use of moving parts.

It is another object of this invention. .tojprovide a methodand apparatus for dissolving detergent material wherein heat i provided to assist in the dissolving step and to more completely and thoroughly dissolve the material.

- Still another object of the invention resides in the method disclosed herein.

2 Claims; (01. 23-309) Further objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art asthe description proceeds in accordance with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a schematic elevation of a cleaning apparatus including the detergent dissolver of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the detergent dissolving tank and associated appurtenances;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig.4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 44 of Fig. 2.

In the apparatus schematically shown in Fig. l, a pipe 2 is arranged to conduct water from a suitable source to a tank 5 and may b provided with a suitable control valve 4. A pump receive s water from the tank 5 and is arranged to deliver Water under uniform pressure at a predetermined rate through pipe 8 to a boiler If). The boiler I0 is of known construction and will not be described in detail, but is generally of the type having a coil therein through which water from pipe 8 is circulated and heated to produce therein a steam and Water mixture. The steam and water mixture is delivered from the boiler Ill-through a fittmg l2 and valve l4 through a flexible hose or'tubing It to nozzle 18. A tank 20. adapted to contain a detergent solution is connected to a -detergentsolution pump 22. The pump 22 is arranged to pump detergent solution throughpipe'zfi and control valve 21 into the tank .'Preferably, the pump 22 and pump 6 are operatedin timed relation. The pump 22 may be ofv the diaphragm type and driven by surges in the delivery line from pump 6 by connections not shown. Such pumps are well known and need not be described in detail. The hot steam and water mixture containing the detergent solution issuing from nozzle l8 may be directed to whatever object or apparatus is to be cleaned thereby. A float-controlled valve 62 may be employed to maintain a constant level of water in tank 5.

. A pipe 23 connects the water supply pipe 2 and the tank Ziland is provided with a valve 30 therein. Another pipe 32 connects the fitting l2 at the discharge end of the boiler It, with nozzle 38 in the detergent tank 20 and a valve 34 is interposed in the pipe 32. During normal cleaning operations, the valves 38 and 3d are closed to. prevent flow of liquid therethrough and the operation is as previously described.

1 -When the supply of detergent solution in tank Zflxis exhausted and it is necessary to replenish the same, the valve 30 is opened to admit a predetermined quantity of water from the pipe 2 to the tank 20. After the required quantity of water has been delivered to the tank 20, the valve 30 is closed and a detergent basket 36 having foram- 3 inous side walls may be removed from the tank 20 and filled with the required quantity of detergent material, then replaced in the tank in the position indicated in the drawings. The pipe 32, controlled by valve 34, and connected to the delivery fitting I2, is connected to a nozzle structure 38 fixed to the tank 20. The nozzle 38 is directed toward the foraminous walls of the detergent basket 36 and upon opening valve 34, a

jet of hot steam and water mixture will be directed through the nozzle 38 into the body of water in tank 20 and through the body of detergent material in basket 36. The jet of steam and water issuing from nozzle 38 is directed chordally of the tank 20 and will be effective to cause circulation of the water in the tank until the entire supply of detergent has been dissolved and distributed throughout the body of water. The jet is thus effective to introduce heat into the solution and the quantity of steam-water mixture necessary to effect complete dissolution of the detergent in tank 20.

As seen in Figs. 2 to 4, the tank 20 is substantially cylindrical in shape and is provided with a bottom 40, a cylindrical side wall 42 and may be provided with a cover or top 44. The cover 44 is preferably provided with an opening 46 eecentrically of the center thereof and of a size somewhat larger than the outermost diameter of the detergent basket 36. The nozzle 38 extends through the cylindrical side wall 42 and may be welded or otherwise fastened thereto in watertight relation. The axis of the nozzle 38 is directed toward the central axis of opening 46 and may be further braced or supported by a suitable bracket 48 fixed to the bottom wall of the tank 20. The pipe leading to the nozzle could, of course, extend down through the top 44, then horizontally to the nozzle tip.

The detergent basket 36 may comprise a bottom 58 and an upper cylindrical portion 52 joined by a foraminous wall section 54. The wall section 54 may be wire screen or the like welded or otherwise permanently attached to the bottom 50 and the upper portion 52 and of a mesh sufllciently fine to keep the solid detergent trapped within the soap basket until dissolved. The detergent basket 36 is of sufficient height to extend upwardly through the opening 46 in cover 44 when the basket is resting on the bottom 40 of the tank. The upwardly extending portion of the basket 36 may be provided with a suitable ball or handle 56 and a removable cover 58.

The pipe 28 may extend into a fitting 80 welded or otherwise attached to the side wall 42 of. the tank adjacent the top thereof, or it may also merely extend downwardly through an opening in the top 44.

It will be apparent that manipulation of the valves as previously described is effective to introduce water into the tank 20 in the required amount and a supply of detergent may be readily introduced into the basket 36 in position to be dissolved by the jet of steam and water issuing from nozzle 38 and distributed by water circulated in the tank 20. The eccentric relationship of the basket 36 and nozzle 38 to the cylindrical tank 20, as shown in Fig. 2, is for the purpose of insuring thorough and complete circulation of the dissolved detergent material throughout tank 20. It will be apparent that the jet of material issuing from the nozzle 38 and passing through the opposing foraminous side walls 54 of the basket 36 will be deflected by the side walls of the 4 tank 20 in such a way as to cause circulation throughout the entire space within the tank.

After a supply of detergent solution has been produced, which clearly will require very little labor and time, the valve 34 may again be closed and the cleaning operation may proceed until the supply of detergent solution is again exhausted.

While the illustrated embodiment shows tank 20 as cylindrical, it need not be s since it has been found that rectangular tanks function satisfactorily. Furthermore, the detergent basket 36 need not necessarily be removable from tank 20, it may clearly be permanently mounted therein as long as a detergent introducing opening is accessible from the exterior of the tank.

While a single specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto but encompasses all modifications falling fairly within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a detergent dissolving apparatus, a tank for solvent, a detergent basket having detergent confining walls including opposed side walls of foraminous material, means for supporting said basket in a predetermined position in said tank displaced from the center thereof, nozzle means in said tank directed toward said predetermined position and arranged to direct a jet of fluid through the opposed foraminous walls of said basket in a direction generally tangentially of said tank, the side walls of said tank being so related to said basket and nozzle means that flow of said solvent induced by said jet is caused to circulate throughout said tank.

2. The method of dissolving a solid detergent in a fluid solvent, comprising the steps of, confining a body of solvent in a predetermined space, establishing a body of said detergent in a limited space within said body of solvent but displaced from the center thereof, directing a jet of fluid solvent material from a position in said body of solvent through said body of detergent and again into said solvent in a direction generally tangentially of said predetermined space, confining undissolved solid detergent to said limited space, and causing said jet to induce circulation of said body of solvent throughout said predetermined space and through said limited space.

PERRY ARANT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 

2. THE METHOD OF DISSOLVING A SOLID DETERGENT IN A FLUID SOLVENT, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF, CONFINING A BODY OF SOLVENT IN A PREDETERMINED SPACE, ESTABLISHING A BODY OF SAID DETERGENT IN A LIMITED SPACE WITHIN SAID BODY OF SOLVENT BUT DISPLACED FROM THE CENTER THEREOF, DIRECTING A JET OF FLUID SOLVENT MATERIAL FROM A POSITION IN SAID BODY OF SOLVENT THROUGH SAID BODY OF DETERGENT AND AGAIN INTO SAID SOLVENT IN A DIRECTION GENERALLY TANGENTIALLY OF SAID PREDETERMINED SPACE, CONFINING UNDISSOLVED SOLID DETERGENT TO SAID LIMITED SPACE, AND CAUSING SAID JET TO INDUCE CIRCULATION OF SAID BODY OF SOLVENT THROUGHOUT SAID PREDETERMINED SPACE AND THROUGH SAID LIMITED SPACE. 